.338 NM Lightweight Medium Machine Gun (LWMMG)

General Dynamics has unveiled a new medium machine gun chambered in .338 Norma Magnum.

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It looks like it is based on the FN MAG / M240 machine gun with a new fire control system, AR-14 pistol grip, M4-style stock and quad picatinny rails.

The .338 Norma Magnum’s performance is very similar to that of the much more popular .338 Lapua Magnum. The .338 NM has a slight advantage in that when loaded with a .300 grain Sierra HPBT MatchKing projectile, its overall length is shorter than the .338 LM loaded with the same bullet. This is why General Dynamics would have chosen this round over the more popular .338 LM.

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The gun itself weighs 24 lbs. This is a lot lighter than the M240B and about 1.7 lbs heavier than the new M240L. The .338 NM cartridges are a lot larger and heavier than 7.62mm cartridges.

This gun makes a lot of sense to me. The ballistics of the .338 NM are far superior to the 7.62mm. At longer ranges it has ballistics similar to the .50 BMG without the need to carry around a M2 + bipod.